Get paid sooner, without becoming the person who chases invoices.
Issuing invoices on clear terms, tracking who owes what, following up overdue accounts and managing credit --- so cash comes in faster and bad debts shrink, while the awkward chasing stays off your desk.
The short answer
Accounts receivable and credit control is the work of getting an Australian SME paid — issuing invoices on clear terms, tracking debtors, chasing overdue payments, and managing credit through terms, limits and checks — so cash comes in faster and bad debts shrink. At Valont it sits inside your finance hub, one part of a wider connected back office, and it works off your real, reconciled numbers so the follow-up chases accurate balances. It’s modular — take it on its own or alongside the rest of the hub — and it’s never prescriptive: you set how far follow-up goes and which accounts you keep for yourself.
The Reality
The work is done and the invoice is sent — but the money still isn't in.
For most owners, chasing payment is the job nobody wants. The invoice goes out, the due date passes, and then there's the awkward decision about when to follow up and how hard to push — on a customer you'd like to keep. So the reminder gets put off, the account drifts further overdue, and cash that's genuinely owed to you sits in someone else's account instead of yours.
It adds up. Late payments squeeze the cash you need to pay wages and suppliers, time you should spend running the business goes into ringing debtors, and every now and then an account drifts so far that it turns into a bad debt. Often the underlying problem is simply that there's no steady process — no clear terms, no consistent follow-up, no one whose job it is to stay on top of who owes what.
Why money you’re owed comes in slowly:
- Following up overdue customers is the job nobody wants to do
- Payment terms are unclear, so nobody's sure when an invoice is actually late
- Reminders are inconsistent, so accounts quietly drift overdue
- Credit gets extended without a clear limit or any check
- A queried invoice stalls and then just sits there unpaid
- Chasing debtors eats hours you should spend running the business
What's Included
The whole cycle — from invoice sent to payment in the bank.
Invoicing & payment terms
Invoices that go out promptly and accurately, on terms that are clear from the start. Getting the invoice right --- the right amount, the right detail, an easy way to pay --- removes the friction that quietly delays payment.
Automated reminders
Consistent, polite reminders that go out on schedule as an account approaches and passes its due date. Most late payment is simply forgotten, and steady prompts handle that without you having to remember to send them.
Debtor follow-up
Active follow-up on overdue accounts --- firm, professional and within the limits you set. We keep on top of who owes what and chase it methodically, escalating to you before any account reaches a point that needs your call.
Credit checks & limits
Before you extend terms to a new customer or raise a limit for an existing one, we can run a credit check and help you set a sensible limit and terms. The decision stays yours; the work is making it an informed one.
Dispute handling
When a customer queries an invoice, the payment stalls. We help work through disputed and queried invoices --- finding the issue, getting it resolved, and getting the account moving again rather than letting it sit unpaid.
Receipting & reconciliation
As payments arrive, they're receipted and reconciled against the right invoices, so your debtor ledger reflects reality. You always know what's genuinely outstanding rather than what looks outstanding because a payment wasn't matched.
The Process
A steady process around the whole receivables cycle.
Set the terms
We start with how you get paid: your payment terms, your invoicing setup, and how you want credit handled. For new customers, that can include a credit check and a sensible limit --- so the foundations are clear before anything goes out the door.
Invoice promptly
Invoices go out accurately and on time, with the detail customers need and an easy way to pay. Getting this right at the source removes a surprising amount of the friction that delays payment further down the line.
Follow up consistently
As accounts approach and pass their due date, reminders go out on schedule and overdue balances are followed up --- firm but professional, and always within the limits you've set. Anything that needs your judgement comes back to you.
Receipt & report
Payments are receipted and reconciled as they arrive, disputes are worked through, and you get a clear view of who owes what and where the cycle stands --- so receivables stay current and feed straight into your cash flow picture.
Cross-Hub Integration
Receivables are where your cash flow starts.
The money you’re owed and how fast it comes in is one of the biggest levers on your cash position. Because accounts receivable sits inside the connected back office, the follow-up works off the same reconciled numbers your Finance Hub maintains — and feeds straight into your cash flow reporting, so what you’re owed and when it’s likely to land is part of the same picture.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
No. The point of credit control is to get you paid while keeping the relationship intact, so the tone is firm but professional throughout. Reminders are clear, consistent and polite, and anything that needs a human touch is flagged to you before it escalates. You set how assertive you want the follow-up to be, and we work within that --- a customer who's simply forgotten an invoice gets handled very differently from one who's repeatedly overdue.
Yes, where it makes sense. Before you extend terms to a new customer --- or increase a limit for an existing one --- we can run a credit check and help you set a sensible limit and terms based on what it shows. It's about giving you a clearer view of who you're extending credit to, so the decision is informed rather than a guess. We'll explain what a check can and can't tell you, and the final call on who gets credit always stays with you.
Bookkeeping records what has already happened --- it keeps your transactions accurate and reconciled. Accounts receivable and credit control is the active work of getting money in: issuing invoices, watching who owes what, following up overdue accounts and managing credit. The two are closely linked and work best together, because chasing debtors relies on books that are current and reconciled. Many businesses take both from the same Finance Hub for exactly that reason, but receivables is its own job.
That's the aim, and the levers are practical ones: invoicing promptly and accurately, setting clear payment terms, making it easy to pay, and following up consistently the moment an account falls due. Tightening those things tends to help money come in sooner. We won't promise a specific number of days, because that depends on your customers, your industry and your terms --- but we'll put a disciplined process around the whole cycle and keep you informed about where it's making a difference.
Either, and it's modular. Some owners want the entire receivables cycle handled --- invoicing, reminders, follow-up and reporting --- so it's off their desk. Others want us to run the routine chasing while they personally handle a handful of key accounts. We set the boundaries with you up front: which accounts we manage, how far follow-up goes before it comes back to you, and when you want to step in. Nothing escalates beyond the line you've drawn.
A clear picture of your receivables: who owes what, your current invoicing setup, the payment terms you offer, and any accounts that are already overdue or in dispute. Because credit control works off who owes what right now, the process is most effective when it sits on top of current, reconciled books from your Finance Hub. If your numbers aren't up to date yet, that's usually the first thing we sort out so the follow-up is chasing real, accurate balances.
Can't find the answer you're looking for? Get in touch
Get the money you're owed in sooner.
Book a finance review and we'll look at how your invoicing, follow-up and credit are working today --- then put a steady process around the whole receivables cycle so cash comes in faster and the chasing stays off your desk.